Massage melts are a unique body product because they stay solid at room temperatures, but when applied directly to your skin, start to soften and melt due to body temperature. Their main purpose is to moisturize dry skin, as well as, relax and soothe tight muscles.

Essentially, massage bars are composed of natural butters and oils. Most recipes for this type of product call for the use of cocoa butter. Even though it has great moisturizing properties, I feel this butter produces too hard a product. Therefore, I recommend using such butters as shea and mango, which create a silkier, luxurious feeling to your melts.

For oils, I highly recommend using sweet almond and jojoba. Sweet almond oil is light and penetrates easily making it well-suited for dry skin conditions. Plus, it is effective on all skin types. Jojoba oil, which is not actually an oil but is a liquid wax, is similar in composition to the oil your skin secretes, which is known as sebum. Jojoba is a quickly absorbed oil that soothes the skin, as well as, extends the shelf life of other oils.

Other light oils you can substitute, for the above, are apricot kernel, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, or soybean. Rounding out the rest of the ingredients are beeswax, vitamin E, and essential and fragrance oils.

Beeswax helps formulations keep their shape, as well as, act as a humectant. Vitamin E oil protects your product from rancidity and is also a great natural antioxidant. Essential oils are natural ingredients that are the very essence of the plant itself. Extracted from the flowers, fruit, leaves, bark, and roots of the plant, the oils are used for scent and therapeutic purposes. A word of caution, due to their volatility, research any essential oil before use. Fragrance oils, though synthetic in nature, do provide an inexpensive and easy way to achieve a scent that might not be possible with essential oils.

Ingredients
3 oz. of shea butter
3 oz. of beeswax
2 oz. of jojoba oil
2 oz. of sweet almond oil
tsp. of Vitamin E

Equipment
Molds of your choice
1 digital cooking thermometer
2 Pyrex glass measuring cups
1 small digital postal scale
1 set of measuring aluminum spoons
Wax paper for measuring on the scale
Plastic wrap to cover Pyrex cups

Directions
Step 1 Gather all equipment onto a clean, sterile surface. Place a sheet of wax paper over the small digital postal scale to measure out the shea butter and beeswax base. Place base in a Pyrex cup and cover with plastic wrap. Melt ingredients, completely, in the microwave.

Step 2 While the base is melting, use the second Pyrex cup for your jojoba, sweet almond, vitamin E, and essentialfragrance oils if used. Mix, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

Step 3 Once the base has melted, mix thoroughly. Pour the Pyrex cup from step 2 into the base Pyrex cup, mix together, and pour into your molds. Set aside for a couple of hours to cool and set. When soft, transfer the melts to the fridge until they are really hard. They should just pop out of the molds easily. Massage into skin and let product become absorbed. Due to melting properties, keep unused portions out of direct sunlight and store in a cool place.

Note If you plan on using essential andor fragrance oils in your recipe, place a digital thermometer in the melted shea butter and beeswax base. Wait for the temperature to drop down to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything higher will burn off the fragrant oils. After the temperature has reached this point immediately dump your Pyrex cup from step 2 into the Pyrex cup with the base, mix quickly, and pour into your molds. Follow the rest of step 3 instructions.

Muscle Relief Essential Oil Blend
tsp. of Eucalyptus
tsp. of Peppermint do not use if pregnant
30 drops of Rosemary

Tropical Fragrance Oil Blend Substitute shea butter with mango butter
tsp of Heliotrope fragrance oil
tsp of Coconut Milk fragrance oil
30-50 drops of Tahitian Vanilla fragrance oil

All recipe ingredients, listed above, can be found by searching Google.com.

While many tattoos are given with success, there are some that do not have such a happy outcome. There are risks of getting a tattoo that cannot be discounted. Among them, the risk of contracting a disease from unsanitary equipment. In addition, a tattoo recipient may be subject to a skin infection if the tattoo is not properly cleaned and cared for after its creation.

Any type of problems that may arise as a result of getting a tattoo will likely have to be handled with the help of a licensed physician. This may include medication to treat any illness or infection that may occur. In addition to the immediate concerns, there may be a later need for a physician if the tattoo recipient should later decide to have it removed. In this scenario, the only way to remove a tattoo is through surgery.

If a tattoo recipient decides to have the image removed, there are even more risks associated with surgery. And, since the surgery is to remove a tattoo, these risks may be considered as a direct result of the tattoo itself. With tattoo removal, the patient may experience either an out-patient or brief stay in the hospital. This will depend on whether or not any complications occur during surgery. Some of the most common risks associated with surgery include infection, allergic reactions to medication or permanent scarring. Depending on the health of the patient, more serious complications may arise and questions relating to these possibilities will be addressed by a qualified physician.

A cosmetic risk, but not necessarily one relating to health, is the possibility that a tattoo artist is not experienced and may not properly design or seal the tattoo. If a design is not done properly, it can look unprofessional and may be an embarrassment to the tattoo recipient. While this may not present a direct health risk, it may force the patient to attempt ways at covering the tattoo that heshe had once planned to showcase. If a tattoo is done incorrectly, some customers may elect for removal surgery and this can carry the risks as mentioned above.

This article is to be used for informational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice. Before deciding on getting a tattoo or having one removed, the patient must consult a licensed medical doctor for medical advice andor to determine the best course of action for hisher individual healthcare needs.

Using natural botanical skin care is a wonderful experience. With uplifting aromatic essential oils and other natural carrier ingredients, it is easy to nourish the skin in a very special way. While dramatic effects can sometimes be had using synthetically created products, natural botanical blends can bring about a lasting healthy glow free from the possibility of side-effects.

Simple-to-make essential oil mixtures will use some formula of aromatic oils from plants and flowers, based in a carrier oil, usually cold pressed from seeds or nuts. Balanced aromatherapy blends offer the therapeutic healing effects of essential oils and the nutritive essential fatty acids of the carriers. Creating your own mixtures is a fun, rewarding and money-saving endeavor; you need only a bottle or two for the mixing, and an eye-dropper to dispense the essential oils.

Several essential oils and carriers are held in high-esteem for their regenerative and nutritive properties. With only a small collection of oils, you can make highly-effective recipes applicable to particular skin conditions such as premature aging, UV and other damage, acne-prone skin and more.

Some of the more important aromatherapy oils used in beauty and skin formulas for both men and women include Helichrysum italicum a potent skin metabolism stimulator and strong anti-inflammate inflammation at a cellular level is associated with nearly all skin damage and premature aging. Rosemary essential oil of the Verbenone chemotype this serves a similar function to the oil of the Helichrysum flowers, increasing skin metabolism and enhancing the removal of cellular waste material. True Lavender, or Lavendula angustifolia, is also a strong anti-inflammate and skin regenerator with a lovely relaxing aroma it lowers tension in addition to directly treating the skin cells, furthering natural beauty. The oil distilled from the Wild Carrot seed also known as Queen Anne’s Lace is very regenerating, bringing life to tired, lifeless skin resulting from high-stress and toxic environments. Palmarosa is considered a ‘wonder oil’ because of it’s brilliant aroma and strong yet gentle antiseptic properties; Niaouli is another essential oil commonly recommended for the same reasons, in addition to it’s ability to tighten and firm the skin.

This is only a few of the many essential oils included in skin formulas, though these are considered among the most important for their broad range of effects. Almost any essential oil can be added to a blend in balanced quantities. In many cases, oils are added as much for their lovely aroma as their direct therapeutic benefits to skin tissue. Many aromatherapists, and natural health professionals for that matter, consider the overall mental and emotional condition to be of primary importance in creating an appearance of fitness and beauty. Many citrus and floral oils are used for this reason Neroli, distilled from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, is an often used example. Others are Jasmine, Sandalwood very popular in Men’s skin care, Geranium and Ylang Ylang.

Essential oils, be they for direct effects on skin metabolism, or for the overall state of wellness of the user, will be diluted in a carrier oil, sometimes known as a base oil. It is important to note that diluting the oils will often actually enhance their effects; essential oils are often too strong to be used directly, and many studies have shown increased efficacy in dilutions down to 1 or less of the total formula. The carrier oils serve several other functions as well; they “carry” the essential oils into the skin, increasing their total absorption. They also nourish the middle and lower layers of the skin with essential fatty acids or EFA’s compounds now considered critical to the health of all living tissues. Further, some carrier oils have vitamin analogs which assist in skin regeneration and repair.

Some of the carrier oils often found in skin formulations include Hazelnut, Rosehip seed, and Evening Primrose. Hazelnut is a very gentle oil with little aroma of it’s own, and being suitable for virtually all skin types, it use used in a vast number of blends as the primary carrier. To this, Rosehip seed oil is added for it’s concentration of triple-unsaturated fatty acids, and it’s natural trans-retinoic acid; a vitamin-A compound similar in effects to Retin-A without drying side effects. Evening Primrose is often also included in lower concentrations for it’s high levels of GLA or gamma-linolenic acid, and is considered important in cases of eczema and skin showing signs of premature aging.

Making your own blends with these ingredients is truly a fun and rewarding experience you only need a bottle to mix them in, and some means of counting out drops of essential oil. An eye dropper works wonderfully, and graduated plastic pipettes are readily available. A basic blend to begin with, which is designed for overall health of the skin, is made thusly to one ounce of Hazelnut Oil, add fifteen drops Thyme Linalool, fifteen drops Rosemary Verbenone, fifteen drops Neroli or a high-quality Petitgrain if you prefer it is much less expensive with many of the same properties, and fifteen drops Spike Lavender a Lavender with strong antiseptic qualities a little more ‘medicinal’ than the sweeter True lavender. This blend was originally formulated to clear up oily skin, but is now used to support normal skin in daily application.

If your skin has been chemically damaged, is overly-sensitive, or otherwise ‘weakened’ with broken capillaries, try this mixture, applying frequently For each ounce of base oil, use three parts Hazelnut, one part Rosehip Seed, and one part Evening Primrose. Add the following essential oils fifteen drops Moroccan Chamomile, fifteen drops Helichrysum, fifteen drops true Lavender, and fifteen drops Roman Chamomile. The Helichrysum, Lavender and Rosehip seed will enhance the skin’s own natural metabolism, and the addition of the Chamomiles will greatly reduce inflammation that is found with almost all damage andor aging.

If your skin is prone to acne, or has over-active sebaceous glands, the following blend can be of great assistance. It contains regenerative, antiseptic, and cleansing oils. Simply use Hazelnut as the base, and to each ounce include fifteen drops of Green Myrtle or Inula graveolens, fifteen drops Eucalyptus dives because of the ketones in this oil, it should not be used if pregnant or under 10 years of age but is otherwise considered safe, fifteen drops Spike Lavender, and fifteen drops Rosemary verbenone.

If your skin doesn’t have particular damage to it, but appears lifeless due to exhaustion andor exposure to significant amounts of pollution or environmental toxins, this is the blend for you. Use one part Rosehip Seed and 4 parts Hazelnut as the base. To each ounce, include fifteen drops Carrot Seed also known as Wild Carrot or Queen Anne’s Lace a well known skin restorative, fifteen drops Lemon verbena which enhances the removal of toxins from skin tissues, fifteen drops Niaouli an all-around brilliant antiseptic oil with firming effects, and fifteen drops Rosemary verbenone again, for it’s regenerative and stimulating effects. If you are wishing to strengthen, tighten, and firm your skin, try this dilute mixture the concentration of essential oils is relatively low here for use near the eyes five ounces of Hazelnut oil and one ounce of Rosehip seed oil, fifteen drops of Green Myrtle, fifteen drops of Rock Rose a plant grown in very sun-drenched areas, excellent for gently tightening the skin. If you like, add fifteen drops of Rosemary verbenone for it’s regenerative properties, but omit if this causes sensitivity used near the eyes.

These are only a few aromatherapy skin care recipes for a woman’s natural beauty medicine chest. There are many texts available to help you create more complex blends, or one’s with your favorite aromatics. Blending your own facial and skin formulas is easy, rewarding, and in the long run, cost-effective. Using natural botanicals in a consistent, mindful manner can lead to long-lasting, noticeable natural health of your skin. Just remember with aromatherapy, essential oil concentrations should be kept low for best results pay attention to how your own body reacts and you’re sure to find the ingredients and measures most effective for you!

There has been a groundbreaking discovery in the field of health and nutrition. Though it has been featured in the media and become an underground buzz, it is still generally unknown. It is the anti-aging and health re-vitalizing power of a little Brazilian fruit, now declared the new 1 superfood the acai berry.

Before this recent finding the blueberry was acclaimed as the most nutrient rich food. It had been recognized for its extremely powerful antioxidant properties.

Antioxidants are essential for full body health. In the natural process of the bodys workings, cells are constantly metabolizing. This creates byproducts called free radicals. Free radicals are molecules missing an electron. A free radical will seek to stabilize itself and by stealing an electron from a healthy cell. This creates yet another free radical, causing more cell damage. The process snowballs as we age and eventually we begin to feel its effects at around age 35 or 40 – the domino effect of untreated massive cell damage. Things begin to go wrong.

As the unchecked flow of free radicals damages cells we begin to see degeneration, aging and disease. Free radicals can invade a cell wall, damage the DNA, and begin the process that can start cancer. They can invade the cell and cause the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, to slow down or stop working altogether. Depending on where this happens, it can disrupt many of the bodys natural systems – from neuronal firing to hormonal balance.

Antioxidants are molecules loaded with extra free electrons. By providing the body with a powerful source of external antioxidants, the free radicals are now able to stabilize themselves by getting their electron from the antioxidants instead of from your cells. This prevents further cell damage.

The blueberry is packed with anthocyanins, an antioxidant phytonutrient which is a far more powerful source of antioxidants than Vitamins A and E. Anthocyanins have been shown to neutralize free radical damage which can result in so many health conditions, such as cataracts, varicose veins, peptic ulcers, heart disease, cancer – the list goes on and on.

Blueberries have been recognized as being far more powerful in supplying antioxidants than wine. Now they have been replaced as the 1 nutrient rich, antioxidant packed anti-aging superfood by the acai berry pronounced ah-sigh-ee.

The acai berry contains the same antioxidant phytonutrients as blueberries, anthocyanins, except in FAR greater amounts. Blueberries have been shown to deliver 38 more anthocyanins than red wine. The acai berry has been shown to be an antioxidant 33 times more powerful than red wine and 5 times more powerful than ginko biloba.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone in his new book the Perricone Promise calls the acai berry the most perfect food on the planet. It rates 1 on his list of recommendations of the top ten ingredients to look and feel younger, enjoy revitalized health and decelerate the aging process.

The acai berry is also very unique, being packed with so many nutrients. It has amino acids, which is unheard of in fruits and vegetables in North America. It has the protein content of an egg, the essential fatty acids of olive oil and is rich in the A and B vitamins. It is a multivitamin food!

Ingesting it has incredible health benefits. Even if you are healthy you will probably notice positive effects as you introduce a more balanced nutrition to your body, including increased energy and mental clarity.

Antioxidants have been recognized as an essential part of our diet in order to restore our health and prevent future disease. Now we have access to the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered. This can take our health to whole new levels.

What is the best way of adding the exotic acai berry to your diet? The best delivery of an antioxidant is ideally in liquid form, so look for a juice product. Look for a company that responsibly helps to conserve the Brazilian rainforest. Ideally the company is one that is closest to the source, harvesting and processing in Brazil. Make sure the company has the highest quality pharmacological processing in order to ensure that you are getting the best product, and the best results.

“Hi, I have had a weight problem all my life. But I think it is more of a pleasure problem It is also a self esteem of issue. Food was always a reward or “to keep me happy” kind of thing. Food is a happy gathering kind of thing… holidays.. going out to eat..sweet cakes on my birthday. Even as a baby I am sure that I was given food when I wasn’t given personal attention.
Diet’s are a form of restrictions. When a person is on a “diet” it is like a statement to everyone around them that they are trying to lose weight. They are telling the people around them they can only eat a certain foods… That food is the food that is on the diet. It is a form of restriction on a loved one. They now have to show their love by helping me stay on a diet. With a “diet” it seems easier for a person to watch me sweat and work out harder to obtain that new weight that I have set for myself.
I seem to think that being one of the reasons for me being fat. As a baby, a child is given a bottle to drink to make them happy and stop crying. Even I give myself pleasure with food. I have learned to have pleasure from food.
Now diet, is a plan of food a person eats for life to keep a certain weight. OK.. the rules change, and now my self esteem is up and I am worth surviving. Yes, it is a survival issue. Eating too much can kill me.
Of course the story of being fat isn’t that easily answered or talked about. There are many other factors on the way I think about this issue. There is much more to it. Much, much more.
And this wonderful web site and you wonderful gals are helping me. Women need more self esteem on many issues. Women can and deserve to be happy. ”

- Peggy WSE member

Thank You Peggy for allowing me to share your post in my blog.

For people with an emotional addiction for food, losing their extra weight is a lot harder than eating less food and getting on the treadmill. Many people are over weight because they are suffering with an inner issue. They will use food as an emotional void filler. The only reason they are hungry is because they are sad. They have confused hunger with sadness. They use food as their drug to feel calmness. They will eat and space out as an addict does after a fix. They will also fall into the roller coaster of self-loathing. Loathing the fact that they once again fell into the unnecessary need for food.

People that are obese and actually have lost weight, are of two minds. They feel like they are someone else when they are thinner and live a life where they fear that they could fall into that food addiction at any second. The other mind is the one that is consumed with self-disgust and a weakness for the addiction of food. People with eating addictions love and hate food. Again being of two minds. They try to justify themselves, by criticizing people without food addictions. They will drive by fast food restaurants and debate within themselves, only to increase the need for food. Which only causes them to devour even more than usual. They are in a constant battle with, should I or shouldn’t I. I know I shouldn’t but I so want to. It’s a viscous circle for them.

One of the hardest things for obese people to deal with is the whispers and snickers from other people as they pass by them. They know well enough that they disgust people just by watching their reactions, yet is is not enough to make them stop eating. Obese people are ridiculed in public all the time and they loose out on many relationships because the other person cannot understand their addiction for food. Food addicts will even ignore that they are literally killing themselves with every bite that they do not need. They choose to not think about it, as any addict does.

Some will say that solving food addiction is as easy as just telling people to stop being lazy, to exercise and to stop over eating. For them, food means so many things besides fueling their bodies with nutrients. Their addiction will totally over rule their nature to protect themselves, health wise or societys concerns about appearance.

Depression, low self-esteem, history of abuse, poverty, family obesity and emotionally troubled childhood upbringings are a few of the greatest causes that trigger off food addiction. As I said earlier in this article, people are desperate to fill an emptiness. Food is the easiest route to reaching that full feeling they desire. Emotional emptiness is the monster that creates the addiction in obese people.

You would think that with all the methods that have proven to help people with their weight issues, there would not be a single overweight person, but the numbers are growing faster every day. Obesity is one of the only health issues the we know how to battle and prevent, yet we fail to do so.

Why is that?

Is it because FAT is one of those HUSH words?

Do we ignore the overweight issues of others, so not to hurt their feelings?

Are we doing them any favours by pretending it is OK to be dangerously overweight?

Do we feel that if they like themselves like that, who are we to judge them?

Do we think to ourselves, better them than me?

People that are addicted to the food drug are just as imprisoned as any other addict. There is only one way to get off the drug, and that is to seek help. Also they must want to get off this drug, for themselves. They must want to feel good about themselves. To be able to get to that point, they must build their self-esteem and address the skeletons in their closets. This is why I created womensselfesteem.com. This is one road to an addiction-free place in your mind.

As you read in Peggys post, she has finally begun her climb up the mountain to a better feeling person. She wanted to share this with other women that are behind those bars of food addiction. It is beatable. You just have to want to begin the battle.

Again HUGGZZZZ Peggy.

Dorothy Lafrinere
OwnerOperater
Website-
Weblog-
Forum-
email- dorothywomensselfesteem.com

Gray hair is stubborn and it can sometimes be difficult to color. In some cases it turns a smoky unnatural color and in other cases it simply does not cover at all. So, how do you get 100 gray coverage each and every time you color your hair?

The key lies in choosing the right color for your hair type. There are several types of colors including temporary washes out with 1 shampoo, semi-permanent washes out gradually over about 4 weeks and permanent hair color will not wash out. The main difference of each is the strength of the developer used in each. Color developer is the ingredient that is responsible for pushing the color beneath your cuticle layer so that it cannot be washed out.

In gray hair, this cuticle layer is extremely compact and difficult to open making it hard for the color to get inside the hair strand. If you dont succeed at doing this, the color will not take or will wash out very easily and fade over the next few shampoos. To make sure that you get your color into the hair strand, use a permanent color with at least 20 volume Hydrogen Peroxide H2O2 as the developer.

Difference of hair color is caused by the amount of pigment that is in the hair strands. Blond hair has the least amount of pigment, then there is red followed by brown and black. Gray hair is lacking color pigment altogether. In order to get color back into gray hair, you need to go through all of the stages depending on what color you want to achieve. If you want blond hair, the process is quite simple. All you need to do is use a golden color. If you want brown hair, on the other hand, you need to choose a color with a red or warm base so that you can get a natural looking brown. If you use a green or ash base, you will end up with a greenish or smoky cast.

When coloring gray, you should also leave the color on for the maximum amount of time allowed by the instructions. Doing so will give the color sufficient time to deposit in the stubborn and coarse gray strands. The only time that you can skimp on time is if your hair is 30 gray or less. In those cases, the gray hair will absorb enough color to make it look like you have natural highlights and you can avoid the rest of your hair going too dark.

So, if you have had poor results when it comes to covering your gray, follow these tips to get complete coverage and you will have beautiful results every time.